Almost half of Brits class their mum as their best friend

Britain is a nation of mummy’s boys and girls, according to new research.

A survey of more than 2,000 British adults carried out by One4all, the Post Office gift card, found almost half of Brits (43 per cent) say their mum is one of their best friends.

One in four (24 per cent) speak to their mum every day, while 29 per cent see them at least once every week.

This could be in part down to the role mums are now playing in the lives of their offspring. Many support with childcare when they become grandparents and Brits now live in the family home for longer before they flee the nest.

When quizzed on the relationship they have with their mothers, respondents said ‘she plays a much bigger role in their life than just a parental figure’.

A quarter said they enjoy socialising with their mum.

Almost one in three (31 per cent) said they would turn to their mum first with any good news, while 30 per cent would reach out to their mum if they were in trouble.

Aoife Davey, group marketing manager at One4all Gift Cards said: “It’s really lovely to see on Mother’s Day just how much of an important role British mums are playing in their children’s lives, even when they have grown up.

“From the number of respondents who consider their mum one of their best friends, to the amount Britons see and speak to their mums, it’s clear to see that the relationship is in fact more of a friendship out of choice, rather than a parental one.”

Millennials are leading the trend as 25 to 34-year olds were the age group who most commonly count their mum as a best friend.

The biggest mummy’s boys and girls can be found in London, where almost one in three (31 per cent) speak to their mum every day, followed by Sheffield, where 29 per cent of locals do the same.